Autumn Statement 2015: How do we make sure access to justice is not restricted even further?
Ahead of the Autumn Statement and Spending Review,Chairman of the Bar Alistair MacDonald QCwarns against further cuts to the justice system.
This week’s report from Citizen’s Advice will make uncomfortable reading for those holding the justice budget purse strings. If further cuts to the justice system are planned for the Autumn Statement, the question will be; how do we make sure access to justice is not restricted even further?
It is because citizens have access to justice that big businesses pay their small firm suppliers in good time, that parents can get the right pay and leave from their employers, and that elderly people get the care to which they are entitled.
The idea that people who need to use the courts are being subsidised by the tax-payer is completely wrong. When people use the courts and other legal avenues to enforce the law, it helps to ensure that we all play by the rules. Without access to justice, everyone will suffer because the rules will cease to matter.
